$1.7 million worth of BlackBerry PlayBooks stolen

By Bla1ze on 16 Dec 2011 05:03 pm

We know there have been a lot of BlackBerry PlayBook sales recently but you'll want to keep an eye out for any that seem too good to be true. According to police reports, approximately $1.7 million worth of BlackBerry PlayBooks were stolen from a semi truck that was shipping them from the Bright Point Distribution center in Plainfield to Ontario, Canada.

According to the report, the driver of the semi truck carrying 22 pallets of PlayBooks stopped to get something to eat and take a shower, upon return to where he had parked, an hour later, he found his truck was missing. Police have no suspects at this time.

Source: Hearld Bulletin; Thanks, @Hoosi3r!

Topics: BlackBerry Playbook News & Rumors

Bla1ze 2967 (articles) 6520 (forum posts)

96 comments

ippyg Dec 16, 2011 at 5:04 pm

That explains why I haven't received the PlayBooks I bought on Black Friday for my wife and mom :/

gord888 Dec 16, 2011 at 6:21 pm

Yeah... I think there are going to be quite a few people who wont get christmas playbooks because of these ass clowns. I suppose the biggest loser is the insurance company though.

etarlac1 Dec 16, 2011 at 11:43 pm

RIM should publish the serial numbers of the stolen Palybooks for buyers to decline buying it or to demand for a much lower price :)

Blackberry_boffin Dec 17, 2011 at 11:11 am

I think soon as a bootleg PB is activated they should know. But Iagree with you.

djdonnyk Dec 16, 2011 at 5:06 pm

That sucks!

pfluger Dec 16, 2011 at 5:06 pm

I have the feeling the thieves wanted to steal the truck, not the Playbooks.

Or RIM is looking for new ways to clear their Playbook inventory.

Tariq.H Dec 16, 2011 at 6:48 pm

LOL yea RIM sent someone to steal them to clear inventory quicker

JackKennedy Dec 16, 2011 at 11:39 pm

I feel sad for the thief when he tries to sell them...

Playbook is a free accessory in where I am living when someone enters a new contract and the thief would have to try selling it for nothing if this happened here.

Maybe he would dissemble them and sell the parts...

E92Vancouver Dec 17, 2011 at 5:05 am

ROTFLMAO!!!! That;s damn funny dude!!!!

ignites Dec 16, 2011 at 5:07 pm

unforunately the thief will have to write down about 1/3 of that in inventory costs so.........just kidding....

Nesquik Dec 16, 2011 at 5:07 pm

WHOA! that is insane -- this isn't pocket change either -- i'm sure RIM wont take this lightly. (hopefully)

BBPandy Dec 16, 2011 at 5:19 pm

Too bad they didn't steal them 2 weeks ago B4 RIM wrote down their value

Darrweng Dec 16, 2011 at 8:50 pm

it is ok... they still have $480+ million worth of playbook in stock!

teamryan15 Dec 16, 2011 at 5:10 pm

speechless

123berryaddicted Dec 17, 2011 at 1:58 am

so we're talking what.... 3000-4000 playbooks.... this is not enough to hurt RIM.... and even if the insurance gives 100%... 1.7million isn't much in light of the 1.5billion cash RIM has sitting around.

Wolf35Nine Dec 16, 2011 at 5:12 pm

I know the stuff was insured. Inside job? What a way to flood the market using back channels!

decypher44 Dec 16, 2011 at 5:13 pm

And in two weeks, Wikileaks will publish photos of Jim and Mike handing an "envelope" to a shady, suspicious-looking character.

Insurance FTW!

/I feel legally obligated to mention that this was a joke.

E92Vancouver Dec 17, 2011 at 5:06 am

ROTFLMAO!!!! You are a comedian dude!!!

Oncastillo Dec 16, 2011 at 5:15 pm

He must have left the keys in the truck! sounds like the driver is the guilty party here, hope police/RIM don't take as long as the OS 2 update rollout to catch them.

mssca Dec 16, 2011 at 5:17 pm

This is a huge mistake. Its not like they can sell this now because Playbooks are so secure compared to iPad and such... Oh wait, root? LOL

Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes Dec 16, 2011 at 5:17 pm

sounds like an inside job. How else would someone know what is ina truck. These are easy to sell and expensive. I bet the driver collaborated.

BGK Dec 16, 2011 at 7:07 pm

exactly what i thought too!

ignites Dec 16, 2011 at 9:59 pm

if ur stealing a truck u might take first and ask questions later..... so maybe he actually didnt get what s/he wanted cus s/he wanted ipads and got a bunch of half-baked goods

nliang Dec 16, 2011 at 5:17 pm

RIMM will get a good payout from the insurance company, it's better than selling them dirt cheap at $199 apiece.

Kennedy.L Dec 16, 2011 at 5:19 pm

be sure to check your local kijiji/craigslist for a great deal on ten of thousands of discounted playbooks.

peter9477 Dec 16, 2011 at 5:22 pm

Is it seriously even possible that the serial numbers for these things were not recorded? It's impossible for someone who gets one of these to even make it work without having the number transmitted to RIM, most likely, so somehow I doubt these will get sold en masse, or without someone getting tracked down pretty quickly.

npunk42 Dec 16, 2011 at 5:23 pm

Is that 1.7 mil full retail, or 1.7 mil including the 200 dollars off each unit?

RuMorInc Dec 16, 2011 at 5:25 pm

When your write your salary down to $1 a year, you find other ways to make ends meet....just saying (and kidding).

staffman28 Dec 16, 2011 at 5:29 pm

Someone stealing a rig most likely wouldn't be your run of the mill house thief. They would have a warehouse to hide the whole truck in and different buyers for whatever the contents ended up being. The buyer would be smarter then the average crook and would most likely strip down the tablets and sell off the parts.
Just saying, not that I know anything about things like this. lol

SassyD Dec 16, 2011 at 7:33 pm

Have you been watching The Wire? LOL

bigopti Dec 17, 2011 at 6:26 am

I lolled, love The Wire!

kevinnugent Dec 16, 2011 at 5:33 pm

Two execs chew through restraints..... truck stolen... coincidence? :)

siddo_d Dec 16, 2011 at 5:33 pm

This really isnt the best year for RIM or any of us.

BaconMunch Dec 16, 2011 at 5:35 pm

OMG The new 100 Million in Marketing is really effective! I hope they can make a movie out of this!

Disclaimer: Just kidding, but seriously I believe stolen BlackBerries have been tracked down via PIN, I can't see how anyone is going to get away with this.

Thunderbuck Dec 16, 2011 at 5:54 pm

It remains to be seen whether these will have been tracked that closely. Even so, yes, the devices' PINs were likely listed on the manifest.

Hwycop Dec 16, 2011 at 5:36 pm

Hope I can find a cheap one on Kijiji soon! Hint Hint!

Tariq.H Dec 16, 2011 at 6:51 pm

buying stolen property isn't the best thing to do.

jelp2 Dec 16, 2011 at 6:19 pm

I guess this story counters the 'thief returns blackberry' headline. :)

Stock prices are sure to soar on Monday due to obvious PlayBook demand!!

JackKennedy Dec 18, 2011 at 2:42 am

unless the headline next week is "$1.7M Worth of BlackBerry Stolen PlayBooks Found Dumped on Highway"

but just to be fair, I doubt the robbers who returned BBs were interested in getting a BIS plan with a stolen phone with PIN.

chesterhall Dec 16, 2011 at 5:45 pm

In the words of Master P: I NEED A HOOK UP!!!! HOLLA IF YA HEAR ME!!!! UUUHHHHHHHH!!!

bermont Dec 16, 2011 at 5:45 pm

As soon as any of these Playbooks go live on WiFi they will be flagged .. I believe the serial number is required for registration.

supraking Dec 16, 2011 at 5:45 pm

Too bad they already wrote them off. Had this happened a month ago the insurance company would have paid out two to three times as much. Hah!

latingeo Dec 19, 2011 at 1:40 am

Figures, times are tough blackberry has lost on the tablet war, so let's report this missing so we can do an insurance claim save 1.6. Mil and get paid for them too, times are tough

koool1 Dec 16, 2011 at 5:51 pm

Oh crap, I guess the after Christmas supply is now gonzo!

No $199 Playbooks. :-(

BriniaSona Dec 16, 2011 at 5:52 pm

I want some! Mee, mee, my dad has a blackberry that could use a charhing pod, just like mine.

lindstrom Dec 16, 2011 at 5:56 pm

Thats how they could work for a 1$ salary :-)

hoppyjr Dec 16, 2011 at 5:57 pm

Inside job......

DCBerry21 Dec 16, 2011 at 6:05 pm

Mm hmm... Stopped to get something to eat, left the keys inside, and Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta took the truck. I've seen this movie.

axllebeer Dec 16, 2011 at 9:43 pm

Wow I didn't see that coming. First they have trouble selling them, now they can't keep people from stealing them. I smell a marketing angle. Take advantage of this and let's see some comedy relief in a commercial RIM.

Boldly sent from my 9930

TeaBoy Dec 16, 2011 at 6:35 pm

LoL Just look for the freaking DAmn Truck with Blackberry LOGO!
Or maybe see if yyou can fiind in your neighborhood with a truck that reads BLACKBERRY

jamesharmeling Dec 16, 2011 at 6:39 pm

I did it and will return the truck as soon as shopblackberry sends me my Playbook. The waiting and the promises just got to be too much and I had to take an action.

"Why not just take one off the truck" you ask? NO!!! I WANT MINE!!! THE ONE I ORDERED!!!! JUST FREAKIN SEND IT TO ME!!!

balding1 Dec 16, 2011 at 6:45 pm

It's a inside RIM job for sure

asianguy80 Dec 16, 2011 at 6:47 pm

I work in transportation. This isn't uncommon for a situation like this to happen. Good luck finding the truck. I've had truckloads of toys stolen, valued in excess of $250K but nothing in the millions, and you won't find the truck for at least a week and if you can't find it by then then the truck is probably in pieces.

I feel for RIM in this situation.

Abrante Dec 16, 2011 at 8:08 pm

Great way to get 3,000 PlayBooks to end-users and still have an insurance claim. Clever is the word I was looking for :) I wonder if there were a few Devs smuggled in the truck too that were "stolen" and will now be making custom apps for the "thieves" :)... RIM is resorting to GhettoFabulous activities to get ahead. lol, just kidding.

sage rat Dec 16, 2011 at 6:52 pm

It seems to be a pretty common practice for truck drivers in cold weather to lock their trucks but leave them running while at truck stops, sometimes for hours. I have seen it a lot.

I would think that you wouldn't need to be all that cleaver to break-in and drive away. It would not be pleasant if you were to get caught. I am sure the other drivers might be happy to "show you" there disapproval.

jodymcl Dec 16, 2011 at 6:56 pm

No one told RIM they were shooting the next Fast and the Furious. And people need to quit saying rim job.

ChainofThought Dec 16, 2011 at 7:02 pm

The news get worst

Nashstruck Dec 16, 2011 at 7:07 pm

HAHAHA.
oh man... a $1.7 million shower.

Fine_Arts Dec 16, 2011 at 7:09 pm

Well......there's goes my Christmas present.........have only been waiting since Nov. 28th.......

ALToronto Dec 16, 2011 at 7:17 pm

I doubt the thieves knew what was in the truck. It wouldn't have a Blackberry logo on it; it was most likely a third party carrier. The driver most likely left it running while he went to take a shower, and the thieves probably watched him. The carrier's insurance would be on the hook for this, and the increased premiums next year may even put the carrier out of business. All because the driver was too much of a wuss to let the truck cabin cool down.

VeGiTo Dec 17, 2011 at 12:59 am

Agreed. The trucking company will have contractual obligations to compensate RIM for the lost inventory. And the trucking company would in turn be covered by their insurance company.

Whether they recover the goods or not, this cannot be bad for RIM.

advcomputer Dec 16, 2011 at 7:34 pm

i am sorry for the theft but cb needs to stop putting every little incident or occasion online for all to see.

are we going to post when jb takes a crap or ml sneezes.

enough with the nonsense already

Darrweng Dec 16, 2011 at 9:01 pm

I am also sorry for you my friend for reading and spending the time to read every little incident or occasion online for all to see.

are you going to spend the time to read for an article about when jb takes a crap or ml sneezes.

enough with your nonsense already.

koool1 Dec 16, 2011 at 8:40 pm

Look for some good Playbook deals on EBAY!!

bdunn014 Dec 16, 2011 at 8:42 pm

Lol, this is one way to move PlayBook inventory RIM

Darrweng Dec 16, 2011 at 9:02 pm

I hope this wont happen to the Porsche Design phones... The Arabs would really be angry!

flapadlr Dec 16, 2011 at 9:03 pm

They will be sold in a remote Russian or Asian country. Of course, now that they can be rooted, do you need to register them upon startup?

louzer Dec 16, 2011 at 9:08 pm

The serial numbers are on the shipping manifest. I did an advanced RMA on a defective Playbook and the RIM rep helping me knew the warehouse, the retailer, and my purchase date all from the serial number. I have a funny feeling that these Playbooks are on their way to a different continent right now. The insurance company will take a bath on this one. The driver will probably be fired. And the people who buy these probably won't be able to activate them. Lose/lose.

L395 Dec 16, 2011 at 9:10 pm

Sounds to me like a whole lot of people might have a nice Xmas.

gavi11 Dec 16, 2011 at 9:28 pm

It happens in the trucking world.

Gear85 Dec 16, 2011 at 9:41 pm

that is why we provide truck and trailer and cargo securement devices at the company where i work to prevent things like this.........yes, drivers do idle there trucks, but usually lock the doors (extra set of keys) but you would be surprised on how easy it is to gain access and if needed start the truck without keys......(depending on model) also our trucks have communication/tracking systems. But like stated earlier they will find the truck about a week later abandoned and missings its cargo. more then likely the trucking company will be the ones that will have to take it in the shorts.......

bfotch Dec 16, 2011 at 9:53 pm

RIM did this to themselves for the insurance money! (think about it)
lol

Liquid_Revolver Dec 16, 2011 at 10:09 pm

More than they could ever dream to sell...RIM Job

breakmedown Dec 16, 2011 at 10:16 pm

Whole trucks being stolen isn't unheard of. Hell, the truck itself tore down into pieces is usually worth as much as the cargo it's carrying so naturally the thieves don't care.

The thing I wonder about is how often truck loads of merchandise like this get that big. Seems a lot safer to just not send that much stuff in one truck. What if something not theft related happened to it, like an accident or something? I don't know the logistics, but that much value on one semi seems like a bad idea over all.

djgolu123 Dec 16, 2011 at 11:22 pm

don't worry ya'll.. These things are easy to track. as soon as someone tries to update the software, the PIN will be sent and the person will be questioned about where he/she got the device. sooner or later thief will be caught.

jelp2 Dec 16, 2011 at 11:32 pm

The good news is the PlayBook is getting on more and more hands everyday!! One way or another!!!

avaio Dec 17, 2011 at 12:35 am

insurance fraud

Trevante Dec 17, 2011 at 2:21 am

http://dallas.craigslist.org/ftw/mob/2755650095.html

It was this guy!!! Lol. I have no evidence to say it was him, but it seems suspicious for someone to have thousands of PlayBooks for sale around the same time that thousands were stolen....hmmmm.

JackKennedy Dec 18, 2011 at 2:50 am

haha...$50 per playbook, that's about the right price....

E92Vancouver Dec 17, 2011 at 5:25 am

This is clearly an inside job. Since when do truck drivers ever take showers or baths? That should be the detectives first clue.

I know how to get these playbooks back. Offer 1 single ipad to the crooks for the whole shipment back. No questions asked.

I have a feeling someone told the crook that the truck was full of half baked goods and he stole it because he thought it was food.

ungibbed Dec 18, 2011 at 4:25 am

Ever been to a truck stop? Most long haul drivers do shower at them and have to settle in and grab a bite. No telling what kind of truck it was but certainly wasn't a day cab.

The odd part is most long haul drivers work in teams to keep the cargo on the move without violating DOT laws of drive time.

Additionally, rarely are trailers marked with manufacturer logos or other such tags or even more trucks full of iPhones and other Apple hardware would be stolen or those carrying merch headed for Best Buy etc.

Most likely if what was known on the cargo manifest, the easiest way is to hop in and run (if you know how to drive a tractor with a super 10 drivetrain). Haul down the highway a bit and drop the trailer and hitch to another tractor (privately owned) so the tracking system on the original truck is worthless as it's either abandoned or gutted already.

It's a shame but I also agree on something fishy going on. Owner operators have the benefit of driving alone but must be bonded and insured for such problems which is really expensive. Corprate long haul has always been done in teams. So where is the co-driver?

snowfort Dec 17, 2011 at 7:17 am

The distribution or trucking company will take the insurance hit, not RIM. I don't think anyone who buys the stolen PlayBooks will get stuck with an inoperable device, as RIM and/or the police will question the people activating the units in order to gather information to track down the thieves.

digtech Dec 17, 2011 at 7:48 am

This will be to RIMs advantage in more than one way... If the playbooks do get sold on the 'black market' and RIM track and ban these pins, ur gonna have a whole host of angry consumers who probably didn't know they were buying stolen property. Might as well let them go, collect ur insurance money and let the market be flooded with PBs. Playbooks are getting more popular by the day, great PR strategy...when they aren't being sold for half their price, they are stolen by the thousands. Everyone will know about PBs now.

vancouvercanucks2088 Dec 17, 2011 at 10:22 am

First drunk executives, then dismal earnings and now stolen playbooks. This company just can't get a break. Not a bad PR strategy tho. :p

-www.harryminhas.wordpress.com-

cookney Dec 17, 2011 at 12:20 pm

thats one way to clear stocks !!

must be an easier way tho! :)

Catfish0201 Dec 17, 2011 at 12:27 pm

I'm glad someone besides me wanted a PB! I just hope that OS2 wasn't on that truck ... j/k, (sent from my PB) (HA!)

shootsscores Dec 17, 2011 at 3:12 pm

Thieving mope upon opening the first stolen crate: "Playbook? Never heard of it. WTF is it?"

mike22 Dec 18, 2011 at 8:14 am

NOBODY wants them anyway. not even black market.

Liquid_Revolver Dec 18, 2011 at 2:14 pm

+10 hahahah

OTCHRussell Dec 18, 2011 at 7:00 pm

Any follow up???????

latingeo Dec 19, 2011 at 1:44 am

Really, really, REALLY.....that's BS from rim, let me guess playbook's stolen only had the casing no motherboard wow genius, RIM just stock making it period....they are trying to squill out on the pathetic book ( PB )... here comes the playbook' 2

Mike1117 Dec 19, 2011 at 11:40 am

I heard Jim & Mike were taking truck driving lessons in their spare time.

Joe257 Dec 19, 2011 at 12:57 pm

Now, will the insurance company pay the full retail price or the huge discounted sale price on each unit? :)

Also, I wonder what market this truck was headed to? Some poor folks may miss out on their PlayBooks for Christmas!

The PlayBook will sell well on the street. I hope RIM can track the serial numbers. Unfortunately, buyer of the tablets will be screwed, but they should be careful when they're spending money. If you're buying from someone directly, ask to see the receipt, even if you're dealing with eBay or Kijiji!

CrackberryJason Dec 19, 2011 at 1:56 pm

Apparently they must have mistaken the Playbook truck for the iPad truck.

bigwill5150 Dec 20, 2011 at 2:37 am

These thieves were actually modern day Robin Hoods. In this case they were saving you all from the suck that is the Playbook. Either that or they were RIM employees actually found a way to get an insurance payout for these bricks. LOL

Sharky-99 Jan 4, 2012 at 3:59 am

I got mine from Best Buy... i would investigate Best Buy... maybe that's why they sell it(16gb) for only $199 here in Canada?

(just kidding, please don't sue me...) LMFAO ^^

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